Category Archives: lefsetz

Although the drumbeat is the same, Lefsetz shines a spotlight today on NY Magazine’s shining a spotlight on Wired Magazine’s recent spotlight on Universal Music’s CEO, Doug Morris. The piece in question is very interesting. Evidently, it’s all of the people who are downloading music, using iPods and demanding better, easily-accessible music that is prohibiting the major labels from concentrating on developing good acts and good music.

Really.

Here’s a piece of information for all of the middle-aged old men who have controlled the world for decades. WE AREN’T IGNORANT ANYMORE! A little thing called the World Wide Web opened up the Information Age for people to “get a clue” regarding issues that were previously unknown to most of us. We have multiple sources to learn about relevant issues and come to our own realizations. And what have we found? That those nagging little hunches we had were right and can be confirmed by many others. So, all of the hoodwink games that have been played over the years are now exposed.

Executive dinosaurs like Doug Morris are becoming extinct. Hopefully, in a few years the music business will be overhauled to provide what the public is pining for. Good, affordable music that is readily available and accessible.

Gone will be the days of master manipulators who bury new innovation to keep the old business models in place so that they don’t have to spend any money on new development or changing their formats. Maybe we won’t have to endure any more “stories” about how “there are no technologists in the music industry”.

As for now, please explain why we’re supposed to embrace the Total Music strategy when the leader admits that they don’t understand the technology and they wouldn’t know technology if it bit them in the butt. Oh yeah….I remember….because they need more money.

It’s time for some younger, tech-savvy management in the music business. Like, maybe the artists themselves? The one thing that the music moguls didn’t count on when they attempted to subvert ignored the market’s desire for on-line music, is the surge in independent musicians and their grasp of the aforementioned technology. The Indies (with a little ingenuity assistance from Steve Jobs) let the Genie out of the bottle and no amount of intimidation and or waxing nostalgic for the mega-million days are going to stuff him back in. There will be more and more new strategies, like Radiohead, Prince, and subscription services tried and eventually, the business model WILL conform to the will of the people.

VIVA LA REVOLUTION!

Money, Pink Floyd

ETA: Lefsetz adds a Perspective from the Bottom. As always, money ^^^^^ is the root of all evil. Don’t get me wrong. I like living well, and eating. It’s just when greed causes people to have an obscene level of living that I get ticked.

In today’s comments, Shrew linked to a very powerful George Michael (yes, I said George Michael) video that is transparently about him and his “journey”. I think that he encapsulates a lot in Freedom 90:

I won’t let you down
I will not give you up
Gotta have some faith in the sound
It’s the one good thing that I’ve got
I won’t let you down
So please don’t give me up
Because I would really, really love to stick around

Heaven knows I was just a young boy
Didn’t know what I wanted to be
I was every little hungry schoolgirls pride and joy
And I guess it was enough for me
To win the race? a prettier face!
Brand new clothes and a big fat place
On your rock and roll tv
But today the way I play the game is not the same
No way
Think I’m gonna get me some happy

I think there’s something you should know
I think its time I told you so
There’s something deep inside of me
There’s someone else I’ve got to be
Take back your picture in a frame
Take back your singing in the rain
I just hope you understand
Sometimes the clothes do not make the man

Chorus: All we have to do now
Is take these lies and make them true somehow
All we have to see
Is that I don’t belong to you
And you don’t belong to me
Freedom
You’ve gotta give for what you take
Freedom
You’ve gotta give for what you take

Heaven knows we sure had some fun boy
What a kick just a buddy and me
We had every big-shot goodtime band on the run boy
We were living in a fantasy
We won the race
Got out of the place
I went back home got a brand new face
For the boys on mtv
But today the way I play the game has got to change
Oh yeah
Now I’m gonna get myself happy

I think there’s somethig youshould know
I think its time I stopped the show
There’s something deep inside of me
There’s someone I forgot to be
Take back your picture in a frame
Take back your singing in the rain
I just hope you understand
Sometimes the clothes do not make the man

Chorus

Well it looks like the road to heaven
But it feels like the road to hell
When I knew which side my bread was buttered
I took the knife as well
Posing for another picture
Everybodys got to sell
But when you shake your ass
They notice fast
And some mistakes were build to last

That’s what you get

I say that’s what you get

Thats what you get for changing your mind

And after all this time
I just hope you understand
Sometimes the clothes do not make the man

I’ll hold on to my freedom
May not be what you want from me
Just the way its got to be
Lose the face now
I’ve got to live